Part of the reason Lukaku is excelling is strong link-up play with his team-mates.

In the 4-0 win over West Ham last Sunday it was noted how well he played with Marcus Rashford. But Mourinho believes he has ‘connections’ with all of United’s forwards, naming Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard.

‘I feel that connection [between Lukaku and Rashford] but I also feel that connection with more players,’ Mourinho said.

Lukaku with his Manchester United team-mates (Getty)

‘I feel Martial and Romelu is a good connection. I feel Lingard is a good connection. I feel Mkhitaryan is a good connection.

‘I think Romelu is a good player to play with. Okay, strikers, they live on numbers. It was probably because of his numbers that we paid so much to have him.

‘But a striker is not just numbers. It is also the way he plays, the solutions he gives and the way he makes space for other players.